Liverpool Banter Archive February 26 2018

26 Feb 2018 21:39:26
Alright folks question for you all wanting to take my grandad to the game he is disabled now and after a long for years of medical issues hasn't been to Anfield for a long time. How do I get a ticket for a wheelchair spot to take him the game?

26 Feb 2018 21:45:18
You need to register him as a disabled supporter first.

26 Feb 2018 22:22:52
Cheers cobra I’ll look to do that now.

27 Feb 2018 08:44:10
Sorry mate, you can only buy disabled tickets twice a year. July and January, first come first served.

Rang for my little boy 328 times got through 4 times and no one picked up.

You have to wait till next season to get wheelchair tickets basically. Unless someone on here can help you out.

27 Feb 2018 17:54:54
Ahhh that's a shame ok thanks for the info anyway.

26 Feb 2018 21:22:26
Jurgen Klopp: “Joe Gomez is coming from the centre more, he will in the future play there (centre-back) . He has to improve but is more the defensive part for a full-back. ”.

27 Feb 2018 08:48:01
Great news for the lad and fans. He moves into the center and we get a new offensive RB 😁😁😁.

26 Feb 2018 20:15:59
This is for baby driver and anyone else who has an opinion.

I would love to get your opinion on hamsik as you egularly watch napoli.

I think he is an absolute amazing player and in my opinion would be a great great addition to the team.

I always maintained that once suarez left we had to evolve as a team and boy have we done that. We were never going to replace him.

Coutinho in the other hand is a different beast and replaceable.

Personally I thought he was easily replaceable not as a player, but in the sense of putting the team first. On his day he was majestic, but he had far tomany off days and days off with injury to really challenge for a title at Liverpool.

I genuinely believed we would be better without him and only time will tell. For me he was far too inconsistent.

But going back to hamsik, I don't think he can replace coutinho at his best, but overall I think he would really add to our team and provide quality and consistency and would be my ideal choice.

What are your thoughts.

26 Feb 2018 20:22:46
Hamsik is a wonderful player, one I would love at Anfield personally. In fact, any of Napoli's Fab 4 (he, Insigne, Callejon and of course, Mertens) would be welcome at Anfield, IMO.

26 Feb 2018 20:24:02
No way ravi! Coutinio was brilliant. One of the best midfielders liverpool have ever had.

On the other point, I totally agree about hamsik. I think he is class. Would be a great addition.

26 Feb 2018 20:25:01
Hamsik for me is the heartbeat of Napoli top top player mate.

26 Feb 2018 20:30:31
Very good player. Highest goal scorer in Napoli's history; just ahead of some bloke called Diego Maradonna.

My ex was Slovakian and her dad absolutely loved Hamsik. Maybe he was biased but he was convinced he was the best attacking midfielder in the world.

He's better as a second striker in my opinion though. Scorer of all types of goals, and a born winner. He's Napoli's own Firmino, in that he is a huge fan favourite who isn't regarded as highly outside of the club. I don't think he'll leave Napoli until his career is coming to a close.

26 Feb 2018 20:39:42
Does Baby Driver think that Hamsik plays for Sampdoria?

26 Feb 2018 21:17:10
I think you’re right MK, he strikes me as the sort who wouldn’t leave Napoli. He’s not been short of offers from lots of top teams over the years. Hopefully Bobby F is the same for us.

26 Feb 2018 21:24:46
In Italy hamsik is a cracking player but I worry about the pace of the premier league. Aquailani anyone?

26 Feb 2018 22:01:30
Salah anyone?

27 Feb 2018 00:03:14
Nice one smeg head. Why did I get 4 thumbs down?

Was it for saying coutinio is one of the best midfielders lfc have ever had?

Or for saying hamsik would be a good addition.

Couts is the most expensive player in the Prem. Almost twice pogba fee, well 40 mil out. He was sheer class, I wish him well, all the best Phil, thanks for the memories. Some truly wonderful goals. Saying that I wouldn't swap a 28 year old Gerrard for two Phil Coutinios.

27 Feb 2018 00:11:06
True smeg it's a fairly obvious comparison but he'd been to premier league before us, he also didn't make his name in Italy. He just happened to play there for a couple seasons.

27 Feb 2018 01:07:52
Every time I have seen Napoli play, Hamsik seems to be the player that you watch and expect to make something happen when he gets the ball. I think only special players have that.

27 Feb 2018 01:14:56
Roy Hodgson and Roberto Martinez! ;)

27 Feb 2018 08:41:52
Hamsik is the Steven Gerrard of Napoli. The old school CAM or what ever you call him. He is a leader and lead from the front. Technically first class! Vision, touch and a goal scorer!
I suggest you to look at Allan of Napoli! Pretty sure he will impress you as well! That midfield is a carbon copy of what Klopp wants to play! And they are 2 up against Cagliari, Top of the table!

27 Feb 2018 08:45:52
Super Salah, Coutinho one of the best we have ever had!? Best 100 maybe, but nothing more than that. Very good player for 10-15 minutes spells, 10-15 times a season. Hardly one of our greatest ever midfielders.

27 Feb 2018 08:44:31
Supersalah Coutinho wasn’t a midfielder he played on the left of a front three. When he did move back into midfield recently he showed that he’s not a midfielder and hung the other midfielders out to dry. He’s a great player but can’t be talked about as one of the best we’ve ever had by any stretch. Especially in midfield.

27 Feb 2018 15:47:19
Fair enough. You lot have changed your tune since he joined barca, that is all I'll say. When he was here he was "best player in the league" "best player at the club" and even "best player we have ever had" sounds a bit like sour grapes boys. He was and is a player of the Highest quality. One of the best players we have had in the modern era. That is simply a fact. Not talking about John Barnes days but in last 25 years couts is way way up there. I'd say top 3, Gerrard at 1 Suarez at 2 and coutinio at 3.

26 Feb 2018 13:54:13
I'm such a kid when it comes to the Newcastle match. Every time it kicks off I'm absolutely certain it'll be a 4-3 thriller or something like that. More recently we had a few bad performances against them with dour matches but I will not be deterred. All week I'll be buzzing at the thought of three points and a breathtaking spectacle.

26 Feb 2018 14:08:32
We should do em pretty easy. At the same time they could easily be a slip up for us. I think the first goal will be crucial. If we score, then we will net 3 or 4 imo. If they score, well, no one is better at holding onto a 1 0 lead. God bless rafa benitez. LEGEND!

Yeah I'm buzzing for the Newcastle game too aoe!

26 Feb 2018 14:04:32
Remember the 6-1 in Coutinho and Sturridges first season? That was stunning. Still one of the best team performances I've seen Liverpool produce. Think Hendo got 2 that day?

Fingers crossed for a repeat!

26 Feb 2018 14:46:13
To be honest I think we'll absolutely demolish them, they won't be able to handle us. I'm going to go with a 5-0, usually I'd be saying 'it won't be an easy game' I think this game will be, we're in the best form of the season at the moment. Mane has found his form again, Firmino is just something out of this world and Salah is certain to score, them 3 both on top form against Newcastle? easy.

26 Feb 2018 15:34:59
Rafa is smart, he will play to frustrate us, they will be giving everything, I don't think it will be the foregone conclusion you's say. I expect it to be hard fought and intense, the players need to bring their A game and have the energy and desire from the first minute otherwise it could be another West Brom fiasco - if they are switched on and giving everything they should win.

26 Feb 2018 16:09:25
Upper main stand again for this one on Sat after the West Ham game I'm hoping these seats continue the good run.

Switch from Lower Kenny Stand as the corporate fans turning up 5 minutes into the second half wind me up no end ha.

26 Feb 2018 21:32:09
4-3 folks. I feel it in my bones.

27 Feb 2018 08:48:35
the difference in these games is taking the chances. people moan that we can't break down teams that park the bus. breaking them down has never been the issue really, but breaking them down and then ending up with the ball in the back of the net is completely different story! and we all know in football that not taking chances can be the killer!

26 Feb 2018 09:54:39
The premier league is full of players who can play well for a few games but over a season they just aren't good enough to challenge for trophies. They don't have the right mentality or enough ability.

Last season Mignolet was our best player in the last few games and a major reason we made the top 4. As a result Klopp gave him another chance but he hadn't suddenly become a top keeper by having a few good games.

Karius the same this season, a decision should have already been made regardless of whether he plays well until the end of the season. They watch him every day in training, he is either good enough or as I suspect he isn't top level.

Can - over a season not good enough.

Gini and Milner see above.

26 Feb 2018 10:36:46
There are a lot of midfielders at top clubs who can become passengers at times.

Wijnaldum, Milner, Can, Dier, Sissoko, Wanyama, Herrera, Pogba, Fellaini, Bakayoko, Fabregas, Drinkwater, Xhaka, Elneny, Wilshere, Ramsey and Delph, all go missing at times either through lack of effort in some cases or lack of ability in most cases.

The only midfielders at the top of the Premier League who regularly emerge from games with credibility are Henderson, Lallana, Alli, Dembele, Kante, Matic, De Druyne, Silva, Fernandinho and Gundogan.

Not hard to see why City are 1st and Arsenal are 6th. You've got City there who have 4 top class CM's and Arsenal with 4 passengers in CM. The sides in-between in 2nd-5th are scrapping about with only 1 top midfielder each, in my opinion.

Modern football games are won in midfield and as you have rightly said, a lot of teams are harbouring player who can't turn it on every game over a season. Look down the league and there are a few players who could potentially step up though and deserve to be at a top club more than the likes of Wilshere and Bakayoko. Just to name a few; Ndidi, Obiang, Doucoure, Cork, Lemina and Krychowiak. Especially Doucoure in my opinion though as he is a monster. I'm yet to see him play badly but then again i don't watch Watford every week! Cork is probably second only to Doucoure outside of the top 6 though. He has transformed Burnley this season. He has industry and quality.

It seems to be a genuine modern football problem though. I don't see many midfield players wanting to get involved as much nowadays; both in and out of possession. There are far too many passengers and that is why City are running away with it.

I can't wait to sign Keita though because he is a proper midfielder who rarely goes missing. Even on a bad day he let's everyone know he is there still. We miss that kind of fight.

26 Feb 2018 10:49:01
Agreed MK. The only thing I do not agree on is Lallana. I think Lallana often let's the game pass him by, especially if they are games against lower quality opposition. In some games last season I don't even see him coming deep looking for the ball!

26 Feb 2018 11:35:03
Not sure what Gundogan’s name is doing in there but never mind.
With respect to Karius, it will probably depend on who is available and whether we can offload one of our current keepers.
If we can’t get a top class keeper then we have little option but to stick with LK. I don’t really buy the Navas has more experience argument as his experience is not with premier league football. In terms of goalkeeping it is a unique environment and no experience elsewhere properly prepares you for it.

26 Feb 2018 11:37:00
Alli has been missing for plenty of games this season, Matic as well . Plenty of utd fans not happy with his performances. Get the point there are very few that are consistent over a season. We have some there aren’t. Every team does. As for Karius he’s a young keeper so with the normally comes inconsistency.

26 Feb 2018 11:37:25
I think when Lallana is fully fit, he rarely goes missing. However when is he ever fully fit? He seems to always be returning from injury and that is when he struggles and can let games pass him by. So i definitely see your point COR.

I think last season he got over his lack of performance against the lesser teams, but he was just always fighting for fitness. Prior to last season though, you are right. He never showed up for the so called smaller games. I did originally have Lallana and Alli in the list of midfielders who can go missing hence why later in the post there was a continuity error where i said 2nd-5th place only had 1 top midfielder each. I felt as though i was being harsh on Lallana who struggled for fitness and Alli who is still very young so i switched them into the second list, but forgot to correct the continuity error. In hindsight, i probably should have stuck to my guns and left them both in the "passenger" list as neither are truly top midfielders right now.

26 Feb 2018 12:03:44
I agree Keita looks a top player, I hope we make the right decisions about the other 2 midfielders we buy. We at least seem to be targeting the right caliber of players.

Henderson and Lallana might be our best midfielders but as they hardly play it just shows how much work we have to do to recruit an entire midfield. The 3 new midfielders we sign we probably we in our starting 11.

26 Feb 2018 12:07:59
Adam lallana let's the game pass him by! Are you serious! He is recovering from a serious injury, it is taking time but man, you have a short memory. He is exactly the opposite to "let's game pass him by" along with coutinio, last season, lallana is the guy who wants the ball, he makes things happen and he grabs the game by the scruff of the neck. Next season lallana is going to be massive for us as we win the league, hopefully he can reach full fitness by the 1/ 4 finals 1/ 2 finals. He is probably our best as tacking mid. My only criticism is with his finishing. He is a small guy, but gets stuck in more than big Emre, and can't kick the ball as hard as some, I think he goes for power over finesse. If he can join Firmino and start adding goals to his game he will be one of the best Players in this league.

Our midfield has changed so much over the years, as the game has changed. We used to rely on midfield to create everything, whereas nowadays they protect the back four and are there only to quickly turn the ball over to the 3 front men.

Not long ago we had only 1 forward and Gerrard just behind. Players like Hendo and gini are perfect for our game. They can break up play and keep the ball under pressure. They are a lso capable of finding the front three with a clever ball.

The game has changed and especially liverpool. I think Keita is going to be perfect for us. If Emre leaves (I hope he stays) we need a real physical presence although I think we are phasing that sort of thing out of our game at lfc.

Milner takes a lot of stick here. For some reason English players have to do more to be appreciated than foreign players. It could be we are still sore about Iceland. Milner has been f#*#*#g brilliant recently. He has been a premier league player for well over 15 years. That is amazing. He has constantly been at the top level and in the big games the guy is class.

I'll finish with a positive. Aoc looks like he could become one of the best and most exciting midfielders in the league. I was dubious when he signed as a cm but he has been class. Not consistent yet but that will come. He didn't bomb. His performance against the hammers was simply outstanding. If it was coutinio we would all be saying how "world class" he was. If Al can Play like that every week we are going to finish second.

26 Feb 2018 12:14:36
Karius played after coming back from a broken hand last season, in a new much more demanding league, he made 2-3 mistakes and was benched, Mignolet has never been our best player anytime of any season and just because over a period of 7-8 games last season he made no costly mistakes, he was just doing the least expected of a Goalkeeper of a team fighting for top 4, his job.

If Keylor Navas is to be our new number 1 i would rather have Karius, and i'm not slating him i just think Karius's ceiling is much higher and i would rather stick with him instead of signing Keylor Navas only for him to be dropped 2-3 months later after finding out he's average at best, we would only make Karius want to leave as well or ruin his confidence which is a huge part in football.

You come back and say we shouldn't sign Keylor Navas but someone like Alisson or Oblak, Klopp apparently wants Navas, Alisson will cost a lot especially after Roma feel they sold us Salah for peanuts, and will have options from PSG and Real Madrid,
and Oblak will also cost a lot and be an option for teams who can pay him higher wages. I wish it was as simple as people make it out to be.

26 Feb 2018 12:21:26
The first post about Karius is very odd.

You don't learn if players can step up by watching them in training, you learn it by giving them game time.

Karius has never really had a long run in the team. He was pulled out after making a couple of mistakes before and then publically replaced as number 1 by the much inferior Mignolet.

Karius needs the rest of this season to see how he does. I would say it'll be good for him to make a couple of mistakes between now and then because we'll be able to see whether he's able to bounce back from mistakes like all the top keepers do.

I agree that there should be a plan B if he doesn't impress until the end of the season but right now he's doing quite well and I wouldn't advocate ruining his confidence at such an important point of the season by making it clear that he is going to be replaced in the summer whatever he does.

26 Feb 2018 12:38:02
Just a simple point supersalah, You say if Lallana can copy Firmino and add goals to his game, Firmino is just 26, you'd expect him to come into him peak now, Lallana is 30 in 2 months time, his peak was last season, and he won't get back to that form without regular football. I feel although he works his socks off and has fantastic ball control / technique he slows the game too much at times and is very ineffective. I certainly don't see him at Liverpool beyond next season, maybe even before. He is not the type of player who will be happy sitting on the bench collecting wages and with us targeting another CM on top of Keita and a wide player as well i see his game time being limited.

26 Feb 2018 12:38:39
You should look at the games we won 1-0 in the run in last season and watch the saves he made and how even he dealt with crosses. I think he is a really poor keeper but he had a very good spell at the end of last season and hense why I wrote the opening piece.

26 Feb 2018 12:40:54
Alli has been missing all season although he was recently found at the swimming baths.

26 Feb 2018 12:42:35
Those 6 midfielders who play for teams lower down the league, I don’t disagree with, however when they play in a team who will regularly have a lot more possession and be faced with a lot more defenders, they may not look so great and may become “passengers” too.

I know the only way to find out is for them to play for a bigger team who has more of the ball, but let’s not forget some of our ‘passenger’ midfielders looked like world beaters and monsters against city and arsenal at home, because they didn’t have much possession, could feed off the the opposition mistakes and didn’t have a low block defence to break down.

{Ed001's Note - Krychowiak was found wanting badly at a bigger club with more possession. He has not looked all that special where he is for that matter, just not as dross as the dross around him.}

26 Feb 2018 12:57:43
My point exactly ed. Some may look good now, but may not be able to cope at a bigger club with more possession, higher expectations and playing against low block teams. But then they have to the chance to show that they can do it too I suppose.

{Ed001's Note - I was just pointing out that you make a good point, as Krychowiak has shown.}

26 Feb 2018 13:25:12
Attackers thrive on confidence, our boys are brimming with it atm But so do goal keepers. Karius didn't settle straight away but he now looks really comfortable and confident. He was top draw on Saturday. Could have been a very different game had loris not got his fingers to that chip. Amazing save. The whole back line look SO SO SO much safer with Vvd. Everyone around him has raised their game too.

26 Feb 2018 14:24:48
Red Dawn it seems obvious to me. Karius is not vocal enough and can't catch a ball he punches everything. I think VVD has helped the whole defence but for me a keeper needs to be commanding and very self confident. I don't know how he is in the dressing room or how he stands out in training. The same people have obviously concluded that Ward is not at the required level and Karius must be showing more than Ward.

I am sure if I was the one making the long term decision I would have enough info by now to make the correct decision and the next few games wouldn't change my opinion.

26 Feb 2018 14:15:32
I slightly disagree Ed0021, I think it depends on Krychowiak's role, how well he plays in a top team.

I liked him at Sevilla who i consider a top club, when he had a bit more license to drive forward. When he is allowed to do that, he does things instinctively and is very good in possession.

At PSG he was playing a more reserved role and when he has time to think about his pass, he isn't great. I don't think he is a true holding midfielder to be honest as he lacks composure. I think he's better playing box to box. He's a good player though and he proved at Sevilla that he can play in the right system at the highest level.

I wasn't advocating Krychowiak for Liverpool though to be clear, just stating that he is a good player who could potentially play at a higher level. I'd rank that 6 in order as 1. Doucoure 2. Cork 3. Ndidi 4. Lemina 5. Obiang 6. Krychowiak.

{Ed001's Note - I never rated him at Sevilla, who I don't consider a top club as they have shown a tendency over the years to just fold against the top clubs. Winning the Europa League even stopped the moment it became a worthwhile competition.}

26 Feb 2018 15:05:19
Fair play Ed. I suppose i best change my opinion now or I'll disappoint the trolls who think i agree with you on everything 😂

In all seriousness though, i really rated him at Sevilla. I thought he bullied us in our Europa League final especially, but i see your point on the Europa league losing value. Too many teams actually want to get knocked out of it nowadays. Krychowiak is far too good for West Brom though, in my opinion. I think he can mix it with the best if used correctly. Appreciate your views though.

{Ed001's Note - I don't think the Europa League has lost value, had lost value but this season and last season it mattered because of the prize at the end. Sevilla show in the Spanish league what level they are at, constantly folding against the top 3 clubs and making no attempt to give them a real game.}

26 Feb 2018 17:18:03
Wijnaldum is replaced by Kieta. And if Klopp gets Jorginho then that is your midfiled. Jorginho - Keita - Coutinho replacement.

26 Feb 2018 17:20:39
Lallana should be in former list.

He is better than Can but by not much and not to be included in next level.


Cheers.

26 Feb 2018 18:00:41
A good point well argued nostradamus. I think people are down on lallana as he is not yet fully match fit and we are not sering his best.

You are right about ads peak but Gerrard had his best seasons at 29 30 31. I'm not expecting lallana to score 25 goals but he should be making double figures.

He gets injured a lot coz he is a little guy battling with big lumps.

Sometimes you need to slow the game down dude. Haven't you noticed, Southampton and West ham, we completely dominated, we sxlowed it down when we need to.

We should 100% keep lallana. To sign a player of his quality is going to cost over 50 mil. Why do that when we have ads? Also, we need players in their 30s. this isn't fifa, you need experienced, intelligent players like ads to win things.

The team is class now. Don't change it. Okay, Keita in and Emre out. I was in a band for years and sound men will never stop tinkering with the dials. They get it bang on and then keep tweaking until you get feedback. We shouldn't tinker too much. I hope milner stays. His versatility, his tenacity and his experience are vital for a title winning team. He has a premier league medal.

26 Feb 2018 19:13:46
I agree with what you say Supersalah, but these are human beings with needs and ambitions of their own mate, i would love to keep Lallana and Milner around the place but i just think with new players arriving those two in particular will want to move on to play regular football.

26 Feb 2018 19:45:07
Fair play nostradamus. Good bloke. I think milner has shown he still has something to offer. His versatility is a real asset too. Lb, rb, cm, dcm acm and rm, rw, lm, lw.

I wouldn't be surprised if milner left but I expect lallana to be around for a few more years.

One thing that slightly annoys me. It is funny how milner rise in form coincides with the run up to the world cup. Makes me think he hasn't tried as much as he could have. Does that make sense? Do you get me?

26 Feb 2018 23:57:05
Milner has retired, nothing to do with the WC.

27 Feb 2018 01:28:00
Has he? I stand corrected. Top player atm. I think since couts has gone milner has taken the role of supplying the forwards.

26 Feb 2018 03:08:14
Just checking out the league table. Southampton are in a relegation battle! I guess if they get relegated we will buy there whole team.

26 Feb 2018 07:21:52
I wouldn't mind Gabiaddini to be honest. He'd make a great back up striker and is lethal in the D as a goal poacher. Great plan B.

{Ed001's Note - seriously? He is average, no movement and is far from lethal, which is why he has been struggling for goals since he had one purple patch after first joining.}

26 Feb 2018 08:01:53
Well I do rate him and I think it would be really hard to get a good or top striker to seat on the bench as a plan B. Gabiaddini would do it for me.

26 Feb 2018 08:04:21
What's your thoughts on ward-prowse ed? Not saying he's right for us but I always thought he was going to be brilliant.

{Ed001's Note - not impressed with him at all. He spends far too much time messing with his hair to concentrate on the game. Only thing he is good for is set pieces, the rest of his play is Championship level at best.}

26 Feb 2018 08:07:48
Gabiaddini, mate he's not good enough even as a backup. We have youngsters who can be plan b who have a lot more potential then Gabiaddini.

{Ed025's Note - yeah but they dont play for southampton salah, i can see liverpool playing in red and white stripes in the future mate.. :)

26 Feb 2018 08:10:55
Nice to see someone with their own opinion who sticks to it.

26 Feb 2018 08:15:00
Cheers man! Pity as I always thought there was a player in there somewhere.

26 Feb 2018 08:16:37
Saints only have a handful of good players. Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand, Hoedt, Cedric, Lemina, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Boufal, Davis, Redmond and Austin are the only players in their squad who are fit for the Premier League. Unfortunately the only player there who can score goals is Austin and he is never fit. Also, having no good keepers and only one true goal scorer (who is injury prone), kind of negates the fact that they have a handful of decent defenders and midfielders. They're like a poor mans Liverpool under Rodgers where we had too many attacking midfielders, Mignolet in goal and relied 100% on Sturridge being fit up front! And how boring were we even though we had better quality overall? Very boring!

Aside from Lemina, Hoedt, Boufal, Romeu and Bertrand though, all of their players are bottom half Premier League players. Romeu, Boufal, Hoedt and Bertrand (who has fallen badly since becoming an England regular; ego i think) are probably 5th-8th place quality, with Lemina being the one truly gifted footballer they have at the club. Lemina is good enough to play in the Champions League, but I'm unsure whether he could be a very top level player who can regularly win titles as a first team regular. Though he did win medals at Juventus as a squad player, he's never been a key player at a top club.

I'd take a punt on Lemina, but 4 or 5 players aside, the majority of their squad won't look miles out of place in the Championship, which is where they will probably be next season unless Austin miraculously manages to stay fit and Forster remembers he is supposed to keep the ball out of the net. Don't forget that this team is the same that finished 8th last season and got to a cup final after beating us in the Semi's. They are mainly just victims of poor management, failing to get the best out of their key players.

26 Feb 2018 08:41:21
I think Bertrand could do a job for us, I think I'd rather have robbo though. Fair play about the gabadini post, I get where you're coming from dude, if we have an injury up front things don't look so rosy, if we have two injuries up front we are in trouble, especially if those two are the boys with pace. I love Bobby and I think HD really benefits from having fast players to set up. I think dom solanke is going to be class buy would I trust him yo lead the line at Chelsea or utd or real Madrid? Not yet. Not saying I'd trust gabadini but we do need some back up to the front boys and finding cap able players who will sit on the bench a lot is going to be hard. Aoc can play in that front three and so can lallana, with ing and solanke I guess we are okay. I'd like to see a new striker in the summer but it will have to be back up as our boys are too good to drop.
That lemana or w/ e looks very promising, could be a liverpool Plas yer one day. Radix shows glimpses of class. How about boufan?

{Ed025's Note - liverhapton could have a really good team SS..

26 Feb 2018 08:42:42
Yeah and they rewarded Puel with the sack. There is no player i would take from there, Juventus don't let players who are going to become world beaters go for peanuts. Actually he is a very risky player who dribbles and does tricks in places he should just pass the ball. Overrated due to all the wrong reasons.

26 Feb 2018 09:17:57
The only player I would take from them is Stephens. A bit raw but I think he could be a good centre back in the future. The rest of the squad is quite average tbh. Lemina I am not convinced by, lots of energy but is so inconsistent and makes the wrong decision most of the time.

26 Feb 2018 09:27:22
Lemina does take risks in possession, but isn't not taking risks the stick everyone regularly uses to beat Henderson with? 🤔 He's only recently turned 24. Lemina would be a decent player to have rotating with Henderson who as Ed001 has said, may never be fully fit again.

I know everyone is busting nuts over Jorginho right now (who is actually very poor defensively and plays slightly ahead of Diawara usually and especially in bigger games), but Napoli are a very hard club to deal with and we insulted them with a derisory offer for Koulibaly less than 12 months ago so just forget about that one lads. He is a world class pass master, but he's not going to happen even if the club are considering him. He'd get trampled in the holding role against quality teams. Harry keeps peddling the myth that he is anything like Alonso when he simply isn't. He is far more energetic and is given more freedom to roam forward. I'd say he is more like Veratti or Modric.

Not saying Lemina is more likely to happen because there is no interest as far as i know, but he is far more attainable and played a key role in Juventus's run to the Champions league final last season. In fact, Juventus only lost 2 games in all competitions that he was involved in; to Real Madrid and Roma.

We can't all come on here and slaughter Henderson for playing safe, then say we don't want Lemina because he takes risks. I can understand you not rating him because it's all subjective, but that argument is just as lazy as the "Henderson only passes sideways" argument. Lemina takes risks in the Saints team because he often has Romeu alongside him doing additional (almost unnecessary) defensive work, So he can afford to. His risks usually pay off as well and haven't cost Saints at all this season. On top of that, Southampton play with so much rigidity that there is rarely a passing option aside from going backwards, so he is taking risks to try and make something happen in a dire team. Teams are also pressing him much harder because they know he is the guy who starts there attacks off, but he's not getting any help in terms of movement. You can't judge a racehorse if they're being ridden by Dwayne Johnson. Lemina is carrying a very poor team.

Then there is the argument that Juventus don't sell good players, which is about as relevant as me saying "Juventus don't sign bad players" and yet they signed Lemina didn't they. So that argument is also pretty easily debunked. Juventus let Bonucci and Alves leave for peanuts too this last summer.

Sorry to be confrontational Nostradamus, and i really like your posts normally, but that was just a lazy argument with very little analysis or solid points. I'd genuinely be interested to hear you elaborate a bit more though on these "wrong reasons". As i say, you're a good poster so I'm sure there are good reasons behind your opinion. I think Lemina has a lot of quality though and in a better team, he has proven he is Champions League level.

26 Feb 2018 09:30:06
Southampton players should be totally off limits. It is getting out of hand now.

Southampton supporters must be totally sick of Liverpool, I hope they stay up and kick on next season.

26 Feb 2018 09:56:20
I think Boufal is a good player, but that’s it.
I know ed001 would take Forster but I don’t rate him personally 🤝.

{Ed001's Note - hahaha very funny Ronald.}

26 Feb 2018 10:03:17
I've worded that horribly. Jorginho plays slightly ahead of where Diawara would play, and is ahead in the pecking order, but in bigger games (particularly in the Champions league) Diawara plays instead of him in a slightly deeper role. They rarely play together. It's weird because Jorginho is first choice, but regularly gets dropped for Diawara when they play offensive opposition.

In the away game vs City, Diawara played and Man City were very lucky to win 2-1. Yet in the home game vs City, Jorginho played and Napoli were lucky it only ended 2-4 because the entire game was like watching a hot knife go through butter, and Jorginho wasn't the hot knife!

Italy is a weird league. The tempo is slow in most games and hardly anyone gets at the opposition (with Napoli being one of the only teams who actually do) . Most teams play a very deep defensive line and therefore the DM role over there is completely different for some teams. See Pirlo for a prime example. Even if he could tackle, he deliberately avoided doing it to the extent i don't know how good he was at it. Some teams just choose to play with a pass master in front of the defence because they know they won't get truly tested. You don't get that luxury in the Premier League or Champions League though.

Just thought i should clarify that point because people nit-pick on here and i worded it really badly.

26 Feb 2018 11:27:07
Well, if you must know i have watched him since he was 18-19 years of age and to this day he does the same mistakes and is so inconsistent its actually scary, NOPE, henderson is one of my favorite players (atleast he was before the injuries) and its not the same stick whatsoever mate, Henderson passes side ways a bit more than people like, the stick is to do with the passing!

Lemina dribbles and wants to show his skills in a position where stuff like that is simply unacceptable for any top club, don't see Veratti taking on 2-3 players just to show what he can do when a simple pass is on, or Kante or any other so called Defensive midfielder for that matter, His decision making is simply terrible and i know for a fact Juventus couldn't wait to get rid.

I saw him have a fantastic game vs West Brom fair enough but vs any team with decent players in midfield he is quickly found out, he tries to showboat in a position where showboating is not allowed. I understand that a guy who does a great skill will get the plaudits from TV fans and ''pundits'' but he has 2 or 3 good games in 10 games and that is the reason why Juventus let him go so cheaply when they themselves are looking to rebuild their midfield.

He is 24 as you say and the same applies for Emre, if you think Emre is inconsistent please
watch Lemina over 20 games then come back to me, he makes Emre look the most consistent
player of all time (i'm exaggerating a bit) . But he is young, he might stop it and learn from the countless mistakes but 5 years on since the first time i saw him play and he is the exact same player, i'm not keeping any hopes of him becoming a great defensive midfielder any time soon because that's where he wants to play, even Romeu is playing a bit ahead of him now or with him, honestly MP is not a very good manager his tactics are very weird.

Then the personality, which is the most important thing that makes a player become a top
player or just another player. Determination and very hard work, 2 of which Lemina has very little of, Lemina is like Mamado Sakho if there is an example i can use,
no hard work in training, messing about, twerking with Balotelli's fiance, that kind of stuff ;)

Then i won't get into your ridiculous arguments, because when Juve signed Lemina he was 18-19 and they had high hopes he would mature as a human being and as a footballer, alves is 40 and Bonucci is not that good a defender, he is an excellent ball playing defender but at actual defending Barazagli and Chiellini do/ did all the dirty work. From your whole post i get you have basically watched Saints play 2-3 times where Lemina was brilliant, because i have watched him when he was terrible for both the Saints and Juventus and i remember you making fun of a guy saying it is not difficult to spot a good player because he was working on a scouting license or whatever, apparently it is very very difficult to spot really good players because its not all about how many people i can dribble past while pretending to be a defensive midfielder. I met the guy twice when he was younger and his dream was to become the new Viera good luck with that and to you as well spotting all those world class players!

26 Feb 2018 11:37:46
You also keep talking stats, while Lemina actually came off the bench a lot in games already won and was a back up rotation option at best, my best friend is a life time supporter of Juve and was very happy they got rid. He has also worked in football for over 22 years and i mean no disrespect but i take his words over yours 10 out of 10 times, you say stats mean nothing then use them most of the time yourself to justify a point. Jorginho is on a whole other level even though i haven't opened my mouth or creamed myself about him as you say because i don't think it will happen then you go and say something hilarious like Lemina is more attainable and is proven, proven of what that he has 10 terrible games and 2 good ones? More attainable? Really like the 79 million € we are paying southampton for van Dijk attainable? Yeah thought so. If they were selling him to West Ham for 20 million and we asked he would suddenly cost us 60 million, just suggesting anymore southampton players for us to sign is ridiculous all together, they are not the only team in the world!

26 Feb 2018 11:24:23
😄 couldn’t resist it ed.

{Ed001's Note - he is like the anti-Kovacic....}

26 Feb 2018 12:43:37
I wouldn’t worry too much Harry, if Ed001 comes out and state he doesn’t rate Lemina, Mk will stop banging the drum ;)

26 Feb 2018 13:05:39
You've clearly taken offence to me asking to hear your full opinion, when you should have regarded it as a compliment that i wanted to hear your views in more depth.

Just to be clear though, i watched him play a couple of times for Marseille which is where he actually was at 18-21 years old, before he joined Juventus (initially on loan) a couple of months before his 22nd birthday. He was only at Juve for 2 season. So you've not followed his career anywhere near as closely as you're pretending and your in the know friend at Juventus doesn't even know how long he was at the club. I only saw him play Champions League for Juventus and he was always solid and he dribbles his way out of trouble rather successfully from what I've seen. He actually played 270 minutes in the CL for Juve that last season, including 3 starts in the group stages, so he didn't only come on when the game was won. That is a total lie to try and discredit him as a player.

With regards to the scouting stuff, you've confused me for someone else. I have never claimed to be a scout or even suggested i want to be. I'm just a fan of football who enjoys debating it and writing it as i see it. I know exactly which poster you are referring to, but you've jumped the gun there massively. Mistaken identity mate.

You are correct, I've not seen loads of Lemina. About 5 games for Saints, about 3 for Juventus and about 2 for Marseille. Am i not allowed to judge a player based on what I've seen though? If we're all only allowed to have an opinion on players we've seen 50btimes or more, we basically aren't allowed to debate anyone who doesn't play for Liverpool!

As for the personal attack on me apparently using stats; where have i hear? Normally, I give an opinion and explain it in detail, on rare occasions adding a few relevant stats on the back end, but I've not used any stats on this entire thread 🤔 i haven't used stats as the basis for my opinion for about 4 years. I admit that i used to, but i learned that they are largely irrelevant and easily manipulated.

I'm bitterly disappointed by your replies. I genuinely enjoy your posts and i knew you had the eloquence and quality in your writing to put a stronger argument together than 3 sentences with no explanation, so i politely asked you to elaborate. Instead of debating Lemina though, I've had to spend my entire reply defending myself because you took offence to me valuing your opinion, and launched a scathing personal attack on me for things other people have said 🤦🏻

I won't bother asking you for your opinion in future, as you've done a fine job of ensuring i never value your opinion again, not least by telling me you don't value mine at all 👍🏻.

26 Feb 2018 13:29:03
I agree with Ron. That boufal would be good back up for those wingers.

Lol Ed, I don't know why we don't just sign their scouts!

{Ed001's Note - Boufal? Too inconsistent and moody, fantastic talent but only turns up twice a season. May as well not bother.

As for their scouts, why would we want them? I would rather we targeted better players than keep looking at Saints. We should be looking at Genk's scouts, who spotted the likes of Leon Bailey, if we are going to grab some scouts. Not Southampton, who have shown an inability to replace their better players, instead signing donkeys like Redmond.}

26 Feb 2018 14:02:22
Now I've defended myself i will debate your points.

Firstly on the inconsistency; that is largely down to the fact that this is his first season as a first team regular. He is slightly inconsistent, but so are Southampton so it's not as simple as just blaming Lemina.

Secondly on the dribbling point; Kante dribbles a lot! I'm actually surprised you used him as he is the worst example for your argument. Kante regularly skips past 2 or 3 players in midfield. Another top holding midfielder who does the same is Weigl at Dortmund. Dembele at Spurs does it too all the time. So it is a bit factually incorrect to say no top teams have a holding midfielder who takes risks and dribbles with the ball. I would guarantee you that anyone on here would take any of those three players despite them taking risks on the ball.

On the personality front, i can't comment as i have no knowledge of him away from the pitch. I perhaps would've considered your friends inside info as valuable if he hadn't also told you Lemina joined them at 18 years old which is actually the age he signed for Marseille.

Alves is not 40 either but i think you knew that. Bonucci might not be great defensively, but he is a good ball playing centre back still. There were a lot of top teams interested in him for that characteristic alone.

Also, how is it hilarious to say Lemina is more attainable than Jorginho? Anyone who thinks otherwise is nuts. Napoli are one of the hardest clubs to deal with and Jorginho is a top player for them. Southampton are probably going to be relegated and suffer a mass exodus.

Whether you want to dispute him being proven or not, he has played for a top 5 team in Europe and still managed to make 42 appearances in 2 seasons. There is stat number 1 of the debate for you. I don't really care if he came on as a sub in half of them. He still made a healthy amount of appearances at a young age for a huge club and won 4 trophies in 2 seasons with them. He has started games in the Champions league that his team have won comfortably. So he has proven to me he can cope at that level. Whether he stands out at that level is a different matter, and i did query whether he had the quality to be a key player at the top level, on the end of my initial comment. Hence why i said I'd take a punt on him, initially as cover for Henderson.

26 Feb 2018 14:20:23
I like Boufal as he's exciting to watch. I think he'd be okay back up but I wouldn't pick him because i think he's hit his ceiling. I'd still pick Richarlison if i had the choice of a back up wide forward. I still can't believe he's only 20. I think his pace of the bench would cause teams problems and he has the potential to break into the first team one day.

26 Feb 2018 14:21:09
Good point Ed. When playing old fifa I used to raid the Scandinavian leagues for defenders especially. Not relevant I know, I will keep an eye on genk, anyone there you like Ed?

Look at Gerrard houlier, that team he built in his first season. Hypia, henchoz, hanman and even camara. Real hidden gems. Maybe not hanman, he was already an established cm. There were a few signings from Scandinavia then.

I've been banging on about Vvd and his calming effect and subtle contribution to Liverpool. Look at Southampton now he is gone.

{Ed001's Note - Saints were poor with VVD, they haven't changed because they lost him, they are struggling because they have been badly run in recent years. They are trying to move away from the model that gave them success and it is not working.

I haven't seen Genk's current team play but in the last few years they have had Wilfred Ndidi, Leon Bailey and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, all bought for peanuts. You could even include players such as Christian Kabasele as successful scouting when you consider the size of the club and the league it plays in. Funnily enough they have raided the Scandinavian market a few times recently as well, Aidoo is a defender that some people have suggest to me as a player to keep an eye out for in the future.}

26 Feb 2018 15:07:33
no more players from Southampton please, we have cleaned them out.

26 Feb 2018 15:11:25
Best player in Genk's current side for me, is Gambian centre back Omar Colley.

Proper old fashioned defender. He could easily play in the Premier League. I did do an article which included him about 6-9 months ago but i cannot remember what it was called now.

Good player though. If you can catch a game of there's on a streaming site, keep an eye out for him! Plays very similar to the likes of Pepe, Manolas and Koulibaly; right on the edge of the rules! Who doesn't love a beast at the back though?

26 Feb 2018 17:18:20
Lol Plan B. We lack width and that should be our plan B. Though, Lemina is a great shout.

26 Feb 2018 17:49:39
Lol, my friend never told me when he joined Juventus, i made an asumption that was wrong because he was pushing to leave france after 2 months, my bad! Its not like we sit and speak about the almighty Lemina all the time, i asked him a question when he was about to join Saints and he said he did nothing special and was still doing the same mistakes in france. you have obviously watched him a ton (so have i and have even spoken to the kid 2 times) but you know best i won't argue, dembele is not a defensive midfielder in any way shape or form but again you know best, and Kante dribbles when put under pressure or he has to, his first thought when he gets the ball is the quick pass, Lemina loves to dribble, its his game. You always use stats, i can search your name and find 50 posts of you using stats to prove a point. And i have nothing against it because you are trying to prove a good point most of the time. What you basically did is call me a liar and dismissed my post as rubbish and expect me to keep reading your opinions. My point about southampton is that they will make us overpay for the tea lady but enough now, it doesn't matter really, its all good!

26 Feb 2018 19:09:21
Thanks for the reply ed01. As always your opinion is much appreciated. Love your football knowledge, tbh its pretty amazing. Best site ever.

Do you think klopp Could help boufal find some consistency? Or do you think it's just a total waste of time? Sorry about the awkward question, I know you can't see into the future! Thanks again.

{Ed001's Note - thank you for the compliments.

I really do not know with Boufal. He has so much talent but I don't see him developing the consistency under anyone. If Klopp could he would have a player who is amongst the most talented in the world.}

26 Feb 2018 19:51:34
Wow. I wonder how much he would cost? Could be worth a punt if under 20 mil? That is some endorsement Ed. It must be SO frustrating for pellegrino! One match boufal beats 6 men and puts the ball in the back of the net. Next game he skies free kicks, scuffs crosses and goes missing when bullied.

I reckon Southampton would be asking 30/ 40 mil for him, if so I totally agree, steer clear. For 15 mil though, like I say, could be worth a punt. If Southampton go down he will definitely be off right?